Prepare time- and money-saving meals with rotisserie chicken

We all look for meals that are easy, quick and nutritious to prepare at the end of a hectic day. One solution to the dinner dilemma is to pick up an already cooked, hot rotisserie chicken from your local supermarket. Add a couple easy side dishes and “boom” dinner is on the table.

In addition to being convenient and delicious, a rotisserie chicken is an excellent source of protein, and when the skin is removed, is low in fat and calories. Juicy, succulent rotisserie chickens are amazingly versatile; simply pull the meat off the bones and combine it with other fresh ingredients to create several tasty meals. One average chicken will yield three to four cups of sliced or shredded meat.

Choosing a chicken

When picking out a rotisserie chicken, keep these helpful hints in mind. Look for a large, full-breasted chicken. It will have more meat and is less likely to dry out under the heat lamp. If you are not serving the whole roasted chicken as a meal then remove the skin and pull the meat from the bone as soon as you get home. It is easier to separate the meat from the bone while it is still warm. Shred or cube any excess meat and refrigerate or freeze it in portions for future use.

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Here are a few ideas to help you get the most out of a rotisserie chicken.

Use the carcass to make a chicken stock. I break up the bones, place them in a stockpot and barely cover them with water. Add a handful of sliced baby carrots, celery and one small to medium chopped onion, then season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Bring the stock to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and stir occasionally for an hour or so (the longer the better). When done, strain out the bones and vegetables from the liquid and voila. This stock makes a delicious homemade chicken noodle soup or chicken and dumplings (add some of the leftover rotisserie chicken meat and cut up fresh veggies). Keep small containers of stock in your freezer so that it is ready at a moment’s notice. For perfectly measured small amounts, freeze the stock in ice cube trays and then when frozen, transfer the cubes to a plastic freezer bag.

Make chicken salad with crunchy celery and apple. Use plain, low-fat yogurt and a hint of curry powder or cumin for the dressing. Stuff the salad into a whole-wheat pita or spoon into the center of a whole-wheat tortilla wrap and roll up.

Top a pizza crust with 1/2-cup pizza, barbecue or Alfredo sauce or slather the crust with store bought pesto, add 1 cup of chopped rotisserie chicken, vegetables and top with 1 cup reduced-fat cheese. Bake for 10 minutes in a 450-degree oven.

Use shredded rotisserie chicken instead of ground beef or turkey in your favorite pasta dish. You can add the chicken to a red sauce and pour over spaghetti (or pasta of your choice), or you can add it to an Alfredo sauce and toss in some diced ham and sweet peas.

Shred the chicken and follow the directions on a package of taco seasoning for a great alternative to ground-beef taco filling. Serve with shredded lettuce, grated cheese, diced tomatoes and other taco favorites.

Make a chicken potpie by adding chopped rotisserie chicken, sliced mushrooms and frozen mixed vegetables to low-fat, reduced-sodium condensed chicken or mushroom soup. Top with a biscuit topping or pre-packaged pastry dough.

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

One 6-ounce package long grain and wild rice mix

1 medium onion, chipped (1/2 cup)

1 stalk celery, chopped (1/2 cup)

2 tablespoons butter

One 10.5 or 10.75 ounce can condensed chicken with white and wild rice soup or cream of chicken soup